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Wild New Zealand Adventure

Day 1: Arrival in Dunedin

Upon arrival at Dunedin Airport you will make your own way to your hotel in the city of Dunedin which remains as it was for thousands of Scottish settlers (and others) back in the 1800’s. You may visit some central city attractions, perhaps Olveston House, Otago Museum, Dunedin Botanical Garden, Speights Brewery, or the Cadbury Chocolate factory (depending on your interests).

Day 2: Dunedin & Otago Peninsula

After breakfast you are picked up for your full-day tour of the area. First take a short walk to the top of Mount Cargill for an overview of Dunedin. From your vantage point you can see the Otago gold rush left a legacy of ornate Victorian and Edwardian buildings, regarded as the best collection in the Southern Hemisphere. The Flemish Renaissance-styled railway station is one outstanding example. You’ll get a closer look at this, the most photographed building in New Zealand, as well as the First Church of Otago, St Paul's Cathedral, the Town Hall and Clock Tower, St. Joseph's Cathedral, the University of Otago and Baldwin Street - the Steepest Street in the world. After lunch continue to the stunning Otago Peninsula ~ a safe haven for a variety of wildlife who thrive despite the wild southern storms that lash this exposed coastline.

Your introduction to this environment will be a short coastal walk accompanied by the native birdlife, followed by a visit to the Royal Albatross centre at Taiaroa headland. If you want to see the world's biggest sea bird close-up, then this is as good as it gets. This is a unique opportunity to watch these magnificent birds on their nesting area at Taiaroa Head. From here your guide will take you to one of the Otago Peninsula’s wildlife “hotspots”, where you’ll visit places where the best possible viewing of Hooker's Sea lions, Yellow-eyed Penguins, Blue Penguins, a breeding colony of New Zealand Fur Seals and Royal Albatross can be had. Furthermore, 25-30 other estuarine and marine bird species are seen during the experience (total hiking 2.5 hours in forest and beach).

Day 3: Taieri Gorge Train - Queenstown

After breakfast, make your own way to the historic Dunedin Railway to board the Taieri Gorge train which travels through spectacular scenery. It takes you on a journey through the rugged and spectacular Taieri River Gorge, across wrought iron viaducts and through tunnels carved by hand more than 100 years ago. In Middlemarch you are met by a coach and driven through the farming region of Southland to Queenstown. The rest of the day is at leisure.

Day 4: Doubtful Sound

You are picked up early in the morning for the bus trip to Fiordland National Park (transportation provided by Fiordland Navigator). Following a short cruise across island-studded Lake Manapouri and a coach trip on the remote sub-alpine route over Wilmot Pass you will board the Fiordland Navigator at Deep Cove. There is plenty of time on your overnight cruise to soak up the stunning surroundings and to discover the hidden arms of Doubtful Sound – Hall, Crooked, and First. Bottlenose dolphins often ride The Navigator’s bow waves, fur seals bask on the rocks and, at times, rare penguins make an appearance. The boast will anchor at a chosen mooring for the night giving you the opportunity to kayak around the shoreline, go exploring in the tender craft with your nature guide or simply relax on deck.

Day 5: Te Anau - Hike in Fiordland

Disembark from the overnight cruise and travel to Te Anau by bus (provided by Fiordland Navigator). After checking into your lodge, your guide will meet you and take you by water taxi across Lake Te Anau to Brod Bay with its clear water and white sands. From here enjoy a superb walk following the lake edge through beech forest. The track has a gentle gradient and is well maintained, suitable for all abilities. While walking, common birds you may see are Rifleman, bellbird, South Island robin, yellow crowned parakeet, mohua (yellowhead), tomtit, South Island fantail, and New Zealand pigeon. Your guide will show you the native fauna and flora, explain the unique ecological cycle and share conservation efforts made on the Kepler track and surrounding Fiordland. Stop to rest on a beach for afternoon tea while enjoying the magnificent view.

Day 7: Te Anau - Wanaka

Today, head out early for a guided drive to Wanaka (230 km/ 3 hrs). After lunch embark on a 4WD for the spectacular high country surrounding Lake Wanaka. Here you may experience the stark beauty of the Southern Alps from a viewpoint high above the lake with far-reaching views to the snow-capped peaks of Mount Aspiring National Park. This journey will take you to virtually untouched landscapes with your local guide providing fascinating insight into the flora and ecosystem unique to this part of the world. Walking along a deserted ridgeline with only the sound of wind rustling through the ancient tussock grasses will provide you with some very impressive photo opportunities. Round off the day in style with a wine tasting at New Zealand’s most scenic vineyard, Rippon Vineyard, tasting some of the quality wine this region is renowned for.

Day 8: Scenic Flight - Fox Glacier

Board a small plane to fly over the beautiful alpine wilderness area of the Southern Alps, the majority of which are very remote and can only be discovered from above. You will see glaciers at Mount Aspiring, Olivine Ice Plateau and the Sutherland Falls before turning to soar over Milford Sound and Fiordland National Park and then landing at Milford for a short bush walk. Upon your return to Wanaka airport your guide drives you north to the rugged West Coast from which you encounter wild beaches, forested wetlands, moss-covered rainforest, wide river valleys, mountains cloaked in snow, and non-stop waterfalls. All of those wonders are why we consider this the best day-trip in New Zealand. You first pass the beautiful Wanaka and Hawea Lakes. The wilderness town of Makarora is a chance for you to glimpse the famous “bra fence”, a local legend. The road snakes through Aspiring National Park, and the vegetation becomes lusher as you head towards the coast. Climb up the Haast River Valley to Haast Pass enjoying the waterfalls and river scenery. Just over Haast Pass the Wild West coast awaits. Many short walks and a parade of Kodak moments are available before you arrive at your accommodation in Franz Josef.

Day 9: West Coast & Tranzalpine Scenic Train

Today you will enjoy a breathtaking guided walk onto the Franz Josef Glacier. First explored in 1865, the Franz Josef Glacier has been moving forward at a rate of about 1 meter a day since 1985. The Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers are unique relics of the last ice age. Mighty rivers of solid white, tumbling down ice-hewn rock valleys, they are classically beautiful in the glacial sense. Nowhere else in the world have glaciers advanced so close to the sea at this latitude. You take an easy, 40-minute flat walk up the bed of the river flowing from the glacier (flat, basic path amongst river gravel). When you reach the glacier, the professional glacier guides assist you to fit crampons on to your boots. Then you follow them as they cut small steps into the ice, enabling your easy exploration of the crevasses and ice formations. This is a non-technical activity suitable for all ages with medium fitness. The afternoon is free. You may take the 1-hour gentle walk around beautiful Lake Matheson, a small lake stranded when the glacier retreated thousands of years ago. Today it is surrounded by native beech forest. On calm, cloudless days there can be wonderful reflections of Mount Cook and Mount Tasman.

Day 10: West Coast - Tranzalpine Scenic Train

Your guide will drive you north along the west coast. Your first stop will be the White Heron colony near Whataroa to see New Zealand’s only nesting site for this graceful bird. Continue along this rural road with a wild streak - the farmland is trying to turn back into forest and the beauty of the rivers is raw and primeval. Detour to the beach and breathe the salt spray air. Should time allow, stop at Shantytown, a reconstructed 1880s gold rush town, and Hokitika, a frontier town whose treasure is greenstone. Arrive in Greymouth with its long gold mining history. The TranzAlpine scenic train, rated one of the world’s great scenic railway journeys, traverses between Greymouth and Christchurch, from one coast of New Zealand to the other. From your carriage you’ll see the lush beech rain forest climbing into the Southern Alps. Your train navigates through the spectacular gorges and valleys of the Waimakariri River before descending onto the fields of the Canterbury Plains. Make your way from the train station to your bed & breakfast in the heart of Christchurch. (Drive -180 km / 2.5 hrs; Train – 4.5 hrs)

Day 11: Tranzcoastal Train to Blenheim - Nelson

Make your way to the train station to board the Trans-Coastal Train heading to the Marlborough region (5.25 hrs). This journey is a scenic feast of New Zealand, with the Kaikoura mountain ranges on one side of your train and the rugged Pacific Ocean coastline on the other. Travel through some of New Zealand’s finest horticultural and farmland areas, and with possible sightings of dolphins, seals, and penguins from your train carriage. Stepping off the train in Blenheim, you have the option to tour various wineries based on your guide’s recommendations. Blenheim is the heart of wine-growing Marlborough; there are more than 20 wineries within driving distance of the town. After the tour you proceed directly to enjoy the tranquility of your accommodations in the heart of Nelson.

Day 12: Nelson

This morning your guide will take you on a tour of Nelson. If it is a Saturday, you may visit the lovely farmers’ market. Other options include Broadgreen House with its roses, Miyazu Gardens, Founders Park - a working colonial village, the Bead Gallery, and arts and craft studios.

Day 13: Queen Charlotte Track, Day 1

Today is the start of your 3 day Queen Charlotte Trek. You will be transferred from your hotel to Picton dock to board a cruise through the majestic Marlborough Sounds to Motuara Island. The island is predator-free and the bird life is relatively unafraid of humans. Small blue penguins nest in boxes alongside a well-formed track, which gradually climbs to a spectacular vantage point. Rare saddleback, melodic bellbirds, cheeky robins, native pigeons and parakeets can be heard. You will have approximately 2 hours to explore the island

Continue to Ship Cove where you may enjoy a picnic lunch at the place that Captain Cook and early Maori explorers enjoyed. Queen Charlotte Sound was once an important trade route and provided shelter and seafood for the Maori who lived here, as well as for Captain Cook, who made Ship Cove his New Zealand base in the 1770s. Take time to explore the waterfall walk and the Captain Cook memorial and then set off on the track proper. This is where your walk begins through virgin beech forest at its best with stunning views of the Queen Charlotte Sound along the Queen Charlotte Track, one of New Zealand's "Walkways”. Bird-watchers will enjoy searching for bellbirds, darting fantails, and cuckoos, as well as shore- line species like gannets, terns, and shearwaters. Dolphins can occasionally be seen cavorting in the Sound. Hike about five hours to Endeavour Inlet, where you'll stay the night (8.6 miles / 5 hrs).

Day 14: Queen Charlotte Trek, Day 2

Prior to leaving Endeavour Inlet you may wish to take a side trip through a native rain forest to a waterfall. Today’s mainly coastal walk takes you around the inlet through regenerating native bush to the call of bellbirds, fantails, and other New Zealand native birds. Pause at the head of the bay to learn more about antimony & the mining industry that thrived there in the 1880s. Follow the main track onwards and into Big Bay before working your way towards Camp Bay and, five minutes on from there, Punga Cove. A sunny day invites you for a swim or a kayak around the bay (7.5 miles / 4 hrs).

Day 15: Wellington

Depart the Queen Charlotte Track by water taxi and transfer to Picton to hop on the Inter-island ferry to Wellington (3 hours) where you are free to explore on your own. Make your own way to your hotel. There are many activities in Wellington. The city offers many vantage points of Wellington's most famous sights, landmarks, and icons. Highlights include: The famous Beehive and Parliament Buildings, Old Saint Paul's Cathedral, the finest example of Revival Gothic architecture in the Southern Hemisphere, and Exquisite Lady Norwood Rose Gardens to name a few.

First and foremost go and visit Te Papa, New Zealand's National Museum. Te Papa is a ground breaking, interactive museum with free admission. The architecture is stunning, and the outlay is unbelievable. The cable car provides a relaxing journey up to the beautiful Botanical Gardens. Wellington Zoo is a wonderful walk. Cricket at the Basin Reserve gives an insight into the cultural heritage. Take a trip on the ferry across to Eastbourne and Day's Bay. See a live play at Downstage. Stroll down Wellington's shopping capital, Lambton Quay. Swim and surf at Lyall Bay Beach, and Scorching Bay. Cycle out to the Lighthouse, and see the rocks on which the Wahine was wrecked. Check out Wellington's Victoria University Law School; the ex-parliamentary buildings are the largest wooden structures in the Southern Hemisphere.

Day 16: Wellington

Day 17: Wellington - Bay of Islands

This morning make your own way to the airport for your flight to KeriKeri, gateway to the Far North. You will be met at the airport and taken by your guide to today’s hike in Puketi Forest, a sanctuary protected since 1951 for the giant Kauri tree. Here you walk through the heart of the Puketi Forest and experience one of New Zealand's native subtropical rainforests. The walk takes you through regenerating scrubland, hardwood beech forest, along the banks of a river, and stunning mature kauri stands.
Te Tangi o te Tui is Puketi's giant Kauri, the fourth largest in the country with a height of 50.9 meters and a diameter of 3.94 meters. Puketi Forest also has populations of endangered kokako, native short-tailed bats, giant kauri snails and kiwi; with a bit of luck you may hear or see them as well. Continue to your hotel in Paihia in the Bay of Islands.

In the afternoon, visit New Zealand’s birthplace, the Waitangi Treaty Grounds where Maori chiefs and European representatives of the Crown signed New Zealand’s founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi. The Treaty Grounds are steeped in history and open to much interpretation. A knowledgeable Maori guide will walk you through the site and share its history including a journey in traditional and contemporary story and song by the resident dance troop.

Day 18: Bay of Islands

Today is unguided. You have several options for enjoying the area. One option on your own is to take a catamaran through many islands to Urupukapuka Island. Very little is known or recorded about pre-European life on Urupukapuka. Numerous archaeological sites visible on the present-day landscape provide the best record of the past. The 7-km circular walk around the island will take you past ancient pa sites, terraces, and other sites. You may catch a glimpse of a dotterel, brown teal, or many of the other birds that nest and breed on the island. Or you may choose to kayak around the many inlets of the island. A beautiful and deserted beach will provide the setting for a long lunch, a swim, or quiet time before the boat returns to take you to the mainland, 4-5 hours later.

Day 19: Bay of Islands

A Maori guide will pick you up to follow the original stagecoach route from Paihia to Hokianga. This trail was first established by early Maori and then frequented by traders and merchants who transported supplies, kauri, gum and timber between the coasts during the 19th and early 20th century. Meandering through the unique Wairere Boulder Valley, where 2.8 million years old geological rock formations eclipse you, continue to the Waipoua Kauri Forest where you will learn about the many myths and legends of the local hapu (sub-tribe). The Waipoua Kauri Forest provides a natural stage for an unforgettable encounter with some of the largest remaining kauri trees in the world including the national icon, the mighty Tane Mahuta (“Lord of the Forest”), the largest known kauri tree in the world. Estimated to be 2,000 years old, its girth is over 13 meters and stands an impressive 51 meters tall.

Day 20: Doubtless Bay

After breakfast your guide will pick you up and drive to Shipwreck Cove for a hike on the high flatlands of the Ahipara Plateau. Your path will take you through an eerie and desolate landscape of wind sculpted golden dunes and an ancient kauri forest uncovered by sand before descending through stands of young kauri, totora, and native vegetation. Emerging on the beach you look a hundred kilometers to the north where sand recedes into sea spray along famous ‘90 Mile Beach’. Into the car, a short drive to lunch and then continue through the rolling hills of the Far North for a hike to a beautiful white sandy beach on Karikari Bay. The area holds many sites significant to local Maori and early European settlement (whaling, gum-digging, fishing). From nearby Puheke Hill, the highest point in the area, you get extensive views of Karikari Bay, Puheke Bay to the east, and Karikari Beach to the west. Karikari Beach is perfect for relaxing, swimming, fishing, and bird watching, as the beach is home to the endangered NZ dotterel. Whales are commonly seen from the beach. Transfer to a new B&B in Doubtless Bay.

Day 21: Doubtless Bay

A short drive with your guide this morning takes you to the Wairakau Stream track, the trailhead for the Totora North hike. This gives you access to the unspoiled and isolated Lane Cove and Dukes Nose in the Western Arm of Whangaroa Harbor. Walk through a variety of forest types, towering rock cliffs, and pristine waterfalls all set on the shores of New Zealand’s finest harbor. Return by boat passing the beautiful outer reaches of Whangaroa Harbor. Return to your hotel.